Method of and apparatus for building masonry walls in shifting soils.



Y J. B. CAMPBELL. METHOD OFAND APPARATU$ FOR BUILDING MASONRY WALLS IN SHIFTING SOILS.

7 APPLICATION FILED H'AE. 30,1910. 974,023 Patented 001:.25, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/T/VESSES J. B. CAMPBELL. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUILDING MASONRY WALLS IN SHIFTING SOILS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.30,1910. 4 97%I,023. Patented 0ct.25,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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J. B. CAMPBELL.

0R BUILDING MASON N SHIFT'ING sons.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. CAMPBELL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA- METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUILDING MASONRY WALLS IN SHIFTING SOILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Building Masonry Walls in Shifting Soils, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in the method of and apparatus for building masonry walls or foundation walls for the support of buildings or other superstructures, below the level of the ground, without the use of cribbing or bulk-heads.

The object of the invention is the provision of means whereby excavation in sandy soils can be carried on with the greatest efiiciency and safety; the surrounding soil being held in place as the Work progresses.

. Another object of the invention is the provision of a caisson, formed in sections, which may be built up as the work of excavating progresses downward, and which may be drawn up and the section detached as the masonry work is brought up.

Another object of the invent-ion is to produce a caisson by means of which the complete wall or masonry work is built in vertical sections, the sections being joined together to form a unit of masonry.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of building foundation walls below the surface of the ground where by the minimum amount of excavation is necessary.

-- is put in position about the place where the excavation is being carried on. Obviously this involves great difliculty and danger, especially if the soil is of a shifting or sandy nature, or if the excavation is deep, injury and accident are certain to take place and the cost and delay involvedin proceeding in this manner arecertain to be great. When the excavation has been completed and the retaining structure arranged 1n position the foundations are laid and carried up as whole to the ground level.

In constructing a foundation wall with the apparatus of my invention the wall is built from the base up .to the ground level in sections, or piers, each section extending from the base to the ground level, the length of the wall-increasing as the sections are added to the ends of the partly finished Wall. A caisson is sunk into place by removing the earth inclosed by it and allowing it to settle. As the work is carried down, more caisson sections are added to the top of the caisson to prevent any earth from entering from above. When the desired depth is reached, the masonry work is begun and as this work rises, the caisson is lifted, a corresponding distance, allowing the earth to flow in against the wall. As the caisson is being raised, the sections above the ground surface are removed. The wall is thus carried up until it reaches the ground level, when the caisson will have been removed and the ground settled back against the wall.

During the progress of the masonry Work guides are temporarily placed on the ends of the wall to guide and aline thesectional caisson which is sunk along side the incompleted end of the wall. The caisson sections are provided with plates closing the side adj acent to the unfinished end of the wall, which may be removed to expose the end of the wall and allow the next section to be joined thereto. I have found it advisable in this operation to remove the plates on the lower sections only and after the lower portion of the wall has been built, to raise the caisson as the work progresses upward.

The size of the caisson depends solely upon the thickness of the wall to be built; enough space being left to enable the workmen to work unobstructed. It is seen therefore, that the least excavation is required,

and all cribbing and temporary false work is dispensed with.

To these objects the invention consists of an improved method for building masonry walls, and of an improved apparatus by which said method may be carried on.

The following description explains at length the nature of my said invention and the manner in which I proceed to apply the extending the wall. Fig. 3 is a vertical start from the end of the wall and progress cross-section through the caisson showing the wall being carried forward into the caisson. Fig. l is a sectional detail of the method of bolting the sections together. Fig. is a view in perspective of one of the caisson sections which are employed in the first step of the operation. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the caisson sections showing the removable plate.

The first step in building a wall or foundation in the method of my invention is to place on the ground, at any point where the wall is to be located, a caisson section 2 as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The ground is then excavated from that portion inclosed by the section, and the section allowed to sink into place or forced into place by pressure. As the excavation is carried downward, similar sections 2 are placed on top of the first section and se curely bolted together, the number of sections necessary depending on the depth of the excavation.

lVhen the excavation has been carried down to the required depth, the building of the foundation wall is begun within the caisson, and is carried up in a pier to the surface of the ground. As the wall progresses upward, guides l formed of any structural shape are temporarily attached to the unfinished ends of the wall by Wires These guides are made in sections and are provided with joints (3, so that they can be attached as the work progresses. Also as the work progresses upward the caisson is lifted a corresponding distance and the earth allowed to settle against the wall exerting an equal pressure on both sides. As the caisson is drawn up the upper sections are removed, allowing much easier access to the interior.

hen the wall has been brought up to the desired height the caisson is removed and the earth allowed to settle all around the wall. Caisson sections 7 are then laid on the ground, with the plate 8 bearing against the guides 4. As the excavation is carried on, similar sections 7 are bolted on at the top, thereby forming a caisson extending down to the base of the foundation. The guide-bars 4L insure the proper placing of the caisson and aline it as the excavation proceeds. hen the required depth is reached, several of the lower plates 8 are removed and the wall extended from its unfinished end into the caisson as shown in Fig. 3.

As the work progresses upward it is found desirable to raise the caisson a corresponding distance, place the guides at and carry on the work as previously set forth. It is evident that the work may be started at any point on the foundations, and the wall progress in both directions, or the work may in one direction.

The caisson sections 2 are preferably formed circular in shape and are made of a light sheet metal, so that they can be conveniently handled by one man. The circular shape enables the caisson to withstand greater external pressure than any other shape. These sections may be made of any desired size, according to the thickness of the wall being built, but I have found by experience that a section of about five feet diameter and one foot high is amply large for general foundation work.

Around the interior face of one edge of the section, preferably the upper edge, I permanently rivet or bolt in place a T-iron 12. The leg 13 of the T-iron serves as a brace to stiffen the section and prevent it from being crushed by the weight of the surrounding earth. The leg 14-. of the T-iron extends above the upper edge of the caisson, forming a ledge 15 in which the lower face of the next section is adapted to seat. The sections are firmly held together temporarily by means of bolts passing through holes in the lower face of the section and in the leg ll of the T-iron. These bolts are counter-sunk into the section, to present a smooth surface on the outside and are d awn to a seat by nuts on the inside.

The caisson sections '7 are made of the same material and of the same dimensions as sections 2. These sections 7 are preferably formed of a segment of a circular ring, and a flat face. The construction of the segmental section 16 is the same as the circular sections 2, the same stiffening and connecting means being employed.

The fiat face of the section 7 is covered by the plate 8 securely bolted to the edges of the segmental sections on the inner face. The plate 8 is of the same height as the section, forming a closed section having a flat side. These flat plates are removable to allow the operation mentioned above to be carried on. A T-iron 18 is riveted to the upper face of the plate 8, serving as a stiffening member and as a guide and a connecting means for the next section.

Around the lower edge of the first or lowermost section, I prefer to rivet a bar 19, to prevent the caisson from being crushed or indented as it descends into the excavation. Suitable clips 22 of any form are arranged within the sections to which the tackle is secured when it is desirable to raise the caisson, as the work progresses upward.

It is understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the exact construction of the caisson as set forth, 'nor to the exact succession of operations as described, as it is evident several changes may be made without varying from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 7 l. The process of placing in position foundation walls below the level of the ground which consists in sinking a suitable caisson and excavating within the same, building up a section of wall within the caisson, attaching guides to the unfinished ends of the wall drawing up the first caisson, sinking the caisson in place alongside the unfinished end, extending the wall into the second caisson and continuing the operation until the wall is finished.

The process of building foundation walls below the level of the ground which consists in building a pier the width of the wall, attaching guides to the ends of the pier from which the wall is to be extended, sinking caissons in contact with the guides removing the partof the side of the caisson adjacent to the wall, carrying the masonry work into the caisson, aflixing guides to the now unfinished end and raising the caisson as the work progresses upward.

3. The process of building foundation walls below the level of the ground, which consists of sinking a caisson, excavating the material therefrom and building a pier the width of the wall to the required height, leaving the ends of the pier from which the wall is to be extended unfinished, attaching temporary guides to said unfinished ends and drawing the caisson up as the work progresses upward, sinking a caisson in line with the unfinished end and alining it by the temporary guides, excavating within the caisson as it progresses downward until the required depth is reached, removing the lower part of the side of the caisson lying against the guides, thereby exposing the unfinished end of the wall, carrying the masonry work forward into the caisson, attaching guides to the now unfinished end, drawing the caisson up as the work progresses upward and repeating the operation until the entire wall is completed.

l. The process of building foundation walls below the level of the ground which consists in sinking caisson sections, adding sections to the top of the caisson as the excavation and the caisson progress downward, building the wall within the caisson, drawing up the caisson as the work progresses upward, and removing the sections as the caisson is brought up.

5. The process of building foundation walls below the level of the ground, which consists in building a pier of the required width and height, leaving the ends to be extended in an unfinished state and attaching temporary guides to said ends, sinking caisson sections in contact with the guides, excavating within the caisson and adding sections to the top of. the caisson as the excavation and caisson progresses downward, removing the sides adjacent to the guides from the lower sections, carrying the work forward into the caisson, attaching temporar guides to the now unfinished end, and drawing up the caisson as the work progresses upward, removing the sections from the upper end as the caisson is raised and again sinking the caisson in contact with the lastly placed guides.

6. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, a sectional caisson having a flat side, adapted to be removed to form an opening into the caisson, and means for connecting a series of superposed sections.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a sectional caisson formed of a segment of a circular ring and a flat side, a removable plate covering the fiat side and means for connecting a series of superposed sections.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, a sectional caisson formed of sheet metal in the shape of a ring having a portion thereof removed by a chord, a flat removable plate attached to the segment at the ends of the chord, a stiffening element along one edge, and means for connecting a series of superposed sections.

9. A caisson section formed of sheet metal in the shape of a ring having a flat side, a flat plate forming the Hat side, means for remo-vably attaching the plate to the segmental ring, a stiffening member along the edge of the ring, a similar member 011 the edge of the plate, said members forming connecting means for the next sections.

. JOHN B. CAMPBELL. lVitnesses H. G. Pnosr, M. L. REGNER. 

